


Oh, Sweet Valentine

by shindemiru



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: First Dates, Fluff, M/M, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-09
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-03-02 14:35:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13320222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shindemiru/pseuds/shindemiru
Summary: It was Ten’s turn to shrug, “.. If the shoe fits.”“Sure hope they do.” Johnny sneered cockily, “Cause I’ve got really big feet.”





	Oh, Sweet Valentine

“Reservation for two, sir?”

Johnny grimaced at the chipper sounding waitress. The sting of his date’s last-minute bail felt as fresh as a backhanded slap to the face, and now here he stood in this awkward predicament all dressed up with no one to impress. Before he could offer a response, the hostess went and gestured ahead of herself as if to say ‘right this way’. And being the calm and collective person he groomed himself to be, Johnny followed along wordlessly behind the flouncing woman through a busy dining room.

It was just his luck his reservation landed on the most romantic evening of the year. Valentine’s Day was perhaps his least favorite holiday, and having a weak track record didn’t help much either. Tonight should have been the night where his innermost romantic was released, sharing glasses of champagne and having deep conversation over dinner rolls and steak with a girl from his company’s Finance department that caught his eye eight months ago. 

His shame should have been enough to whip him to that valet in the parking lot, fetch his car and drive back home where a bottle of whiskey and freshly laundered boxers awaited him. But it was his pride that kept him planted in place, and needless to say, he owed it to the ‘Treat Yo’self’ meme his best friend Jaehyun texted him after hearing the news.

“Here you are, sir. Someone will be with you both shortly.”

Johnny’s eyebrows raised immediately. ‘ _Both?_ ’ His mouth opened to address the mistake, but the hostess disappeared in the crowd of waiters and waitresses hustling to deliver their orders before he could even blink. He turned his gaze onto the unexpected guest whose wide-eyed alarmed expression matched his own. It should have bothered him to find the other person was also male, though there was a softness to him that left Johnny quite disarmed. 

After a few stretched out moments, he finally managed to croak out a stiff sounding, “Hello..” 

Ten stared at the not-so jolly green giant, uncertain of what to do other than smile and chirp out a ‘hello’ in return. He watched in suspended silence as the infinitely taller man finally took his place in the chair opposite of him, albeit with a little hesitance. The night was turning out to be an even bigger mess since the person he was originally supposed to meet decided that reconciling with their ex was a better idea instead. 

‘ _So much for online dating_ ’, Ten thought. He quietly sipped his glass of red wine, the bridge of his nose scrunching slightly at the taste; probably from some swapped out bottom shelf bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, he figured. 

He heard the other male clear his throat, earning his attention. “So..” The voice lurched out, “were you waiting for someone? Because I can just- I can go.”

“What’s the rush?” Ten asked, grinning from behind his wine glass. “Obviously, you’re not in any kind of hurry.”

Had Johnny not found his newfound companion somewhat attractive, for a guy, that is, he would have felt offended at the remark. “And what makes you so sure?” He challenged in return, unaware he was starting feel at ease with his presence despite them being no better off as strangers, “What’s your name, anyway?”

“Well, judging by the way you’re dressed,” His eyes gave the other a quick once over, “Pressed suit, styled hair, I can see you had your shoes shined, and is that-..?” Ten made the daring move to lean forward unannounced and took a few exaggerated sniffs, “do I detect a bit of cologne on you, too? Department store brand, I’m guessing. Wouldn’t seem likely you’d strut around without some kind of arm candy hanging off you.” He managed to stifle a laugh seeing the growing level of shock slowly spreading across the male’s face.

“And,” Ten paused only to press his lips into a wry smile, “my name is Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul. If you could say it once without a hitch, I’ll pay for this whole meal myself. And you?”

Johnny had no idea what hit him within that short span of time. He’d been blindsided before, but this was an entirely new playing field. One corner of his mouth turned upwards to form a smirk, and his eyes were set directly on the man named Chittaphone Leecha- .. something. 

“I’m Johnny. Nice to meet you.” 

The two shook hands, finally officializing a proper greeting between them. “I suppose you’re right. Tonight was supposed to be.. different.” He shrugged. Sure, it was a rather noncommittal motion, but he wasn’t sure how else to place his thoughts into words that wouldn’t leave his guest uncomfortable. “My date- uh- was supposed to come with me, but then she.. didn’t, so, yeah.”

He let out a nervous laugh, “So what’s your deal? You look really nice. Did you decide to just fly solo or something? And c’mon, man, don’t you have a nickname?”

“Nice to meet you, too.” Ten’s stare remained unwavering. He could smell shaky nerves all over this guy, and quite frankly, it took a great deal of self-restraint to keep from teasing him no matter how cute he found him. 

“I do. My friends call me Ten.” 

Johnny breathed out a laugh, “Why? Cause you’re a Ten out of Ten?” 

“Yes.” Ten confirmed with a confident grin. “Yes, I am.”

“No argument here.”

“Oh? Considering you think I only look ‘nice’ after all the effort I put into looking this way.” Ten feigned offense with a soft huff, causing Johnny to sputter into his glass of water.

“That’s not what I meant!” He scrambled to explain, making sure not to spill anything on himself. “You do- look good, you should know that. Whoever didn’t show up is really missing out.”

“Thank you.” Ten bit back a smile. “Then I guess the pleasure really is all yours, isn’t it?”

Johnny paused to tear into his dinner roll, unable to keep himself from grinning. “I suppose it is.” 

A waitress eventually introduced herself, then proceeded to inform them of the evening’s specials. Johnny found that he couldn’t help but stare at Ten from the corner of his eyes. The dark haired youth had the fairest skin he’d ever seen, tinted faintly only by naturally blushed cheeks. He had eyes which glinted bright enough to make every star he’d ever seen forgettable in comparison. His lips were curved in such a sweet pout that made Johnny curious as to what they could possibly feel like. 

Wait.

_What?_

“Sir?”

Blinking rapidly, Johnny found himself on the receiving end of questioning stares. And all he could say in reply was a dumb sounding, “...huh?”

The waitress repeated herself while Ten attempted to cover his laughter with a strangled cough. 

“So mind telling me what that was about?”

Johnny swore he could sense Ten’s smugness pollute the air, “What was what about?”

“That need for a reality check, like, two seconds ago.” 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Are you gonna eat that?”

Ten eyed the last bread roll in the basket petulantly, clearly unsatisfied with his answer.

“..Well?”

“Yes. Do you hoard carbs or something?”

“How else do you think I got this tall?”

“By cheating.”

The taller, and possibly older of the two by the looks of it, outright guffawed at that answer. “Are you seriously accusing me of cheating right now?”

It was Ten’s turn to shrug, “.. If the shoe fits.”

Ten gasped, both aghast and amused by Johnny’s forwardness and he promptly threw the uneaten half of his dinner roll directly at that smirking face. He missed, of course. But Johnny ignored the hint and helped himself to it as though Ten had intentionally meant to serve it to him instead. The rest of their dinner went surprisingly well, with both men thoroughly enjoying one another’s company by the minute, and even stayed longer than either had anticipated. 

“So you’re a fitness instructor?” 

Ten nodded, “I’m also a dancer.”

“An exotic one?” 

“Oh, screw you.” 

“That’s not an invitation, is it?” Johnny chuckled, unaware that the tips of his ears were tinged a fiery red.

Given the irate glare sent his way, Johnny could tell his date was not having it. Even whilst moderately tipsy, he was at least somewhat conscious of when and where lines were crossed. 

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, “I was just- I was kidding. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

After a generous amount of silence, Ten finally spoke up, “You’re lucky to be so good looking or I’m sure you would’ve stayed in many a dog house.”

Now Johnny’s ears were burning for an entirely different reason, “So.. you think I’m attractive?”

“Well..” Ten swallowed hard, “Um, yeah, I mean you must get told that all the time, don’t you?”

“Tell that to the girl who ditched me.” He snorted, practically gorging down the last bit of meat left on his plate. “You never told me what happened with you and why your date didn’t show up.”

Ten shrugged again, dismissively, “They just didn’t.”

Johnny would have sooner believed in mythological creatures walking the earth over that answer. He grunted quietly, shaking his head, “Damn shame.. you are a catch.”

 _‘Shit!’_ The words flew out his mouth even before he could manage to properly process them. Now he was forced to sit in discomfort and await the aftermath of his mental negligence. 

But Ten only gave him a small smile, “Tell that to the guy who ditched me.”

His eyes must have widened as big as saucers if Ten was staring at him with such concern.

“Does that bother you?” He heard the other ask tentatively.

“What?!” Johnny waved a hand somewhat frantically, “No! Not at all, I’m not-I mean- that doesn’t bother me. I’m not some kind of ‘phobe, okay?”

He watched him relax, visibly relieved that no judgment would be passed tonight. Ten perked up when their dessert arrived. It was a small platter with an assortment of different kinds of cake, all decorated with care and precision and meant to be shared. Johnny wasted no time in taking a spoonful of the one covered in chocolate and fruit, raising it barely an inch away from Ten’s mouth. 

Ten was mildly taken aback by the gesture but took the bait anyway. He closed his eyes, appreciating the delicate taste and textures of it all, letting out a soft, “mmm..”

Johnny almost choked, “Is it that good?” he managed to ask, still choking. 

“Yeah, you should try some.” Ten said finally, moving to imitate the other in bringing a second spoonful of the same cake to his lips, “open up.”

He certainly didn’t need to be told twice. Johnny willingly obliged by taking the mouthful, immediately understanding Ten’s reaction. “That _is_ good.”

It was an unspoken agreement to try the rest of their dessert by continuing to feed each other, later washing the whole meal down with more champagne. The same waitress from earlier delivered the check, which Johnny grabbed just before Ten was able to.

“No, let me,” he insisted. 

“We could go dutch! At least let me pay for my half.”

“Well, for your information, I rather like being Korean. Besides.. you already have.”

Ten raised an eyebrow curiously, “Oh? And how?”

“With your presence,” Johnny answered slyly, handing the waitress his payment. 

Ten wanted to reach over and swipe the smartass smirk off that man’s face, but the tiny butterflies fluttering in his stomach rendered him immobile.

“Pretty sure you say that to all your dates.”

“Only the ones I’m interested in.” 

And just like that, more butterflies were in his throat this time leaving him speechless. A random waiter passed by their table and Ten overheard him say the restaurant was closing soon. Had that much time passed already? Glancing at his wristwatch, Johnny noted it was 15 minutes until midnight and watching more staff clear empty tables nearby was definitely their cue to make haste and leave.

They eventually found their way outside, mostly leaning on each other for support since gravity and champagne wasn’t the greatest combination. 

“I had a good time tonight,” Ten was the first to speak, his breath forming a wispy cloud from how cold it was, “thank you.”

“I did, too.” Johnny rubbed his hands together, hoping to create some warmth. “How did you even get here?”

“I took the train and those will stop running in about an hour if I’m not fast enough.”

“I could take you home.”

Ten shook his head, “I don’t want to burden you, besides I don’t really live that far from here.”

Before he could insist, he suddenly felt a pair of small hands tug on the collar of his jacket, pulling him downwards abruptly. Ten’s lips were as soft as he had imagined they would be and felt even better now that they were pressed against his own. But the sensation ended just as quickly as it had arrived, leaving a deepened longing Johnny hadn’t felt in quite some time.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Johnny.”

 

 

That had been three weeks ago.

And if only it were physically possible, Johnny would still be kicking himself in the ass for letting what could have been the best thing that ever happened to him just slip away like some super high-class ninja. The return to reality wasn’t as easy as he expected it to be. In fact, he often found himself glaring at his stupid desk in his stupid cubicle, covered in stupid reports reaching a stupid deadline- it was all just so.. _stupid_ , god dammit! 

Somewhere in the middle of his internal rampage, a small envelope landed directly in front of him. The words were written in clumsy handwriting which read, ‘One Guest Free Pass’. Looking up, Johnny wasn’t the least bit surprised to find said best friend and co-worker Jaehyun beaming down at him from where he stood. 

“What the hell is this?” Johnny exhaled impatiently, lifting a brow. 

This only made Jaehyun beam even more, “it’s a free pass for a yoga class I’ve been going to.”

“And why the hell would I want to go some freakin’ _yoga_ class?” He bit back, unable to keep sarcasm out of his tone.

But that didn’t deter Jaehyun in the slightest. “Because it’s a great stress-reliever, for one,” he said, flicking Johnny’s forehead, “and secondly, I know that a certain someone takes the same class.

His friend had never been good at subtleties, but his eyes followed the direction where Jaehyun’s head was tilting towards. And what he saw was a primly dressed woman, the very same one who was the center of his affection up until fairly recently, that is. 

“Yoona?” Johnny frowned at the blatant betrayal, “you mean the same girl who _bailed_ on me on our date? Yeah- no, thanks.” 

“This might be a great way to show her what she’s missing out on!” 

He scoffed, ‘ _I wouldn’t buy your bullshit even on sale_ ’, was the exact message his face gave Jaehyun.

“Besides,” Jaehyun countered with both arms folded, “you still owe me for gambling away all my birthday money, so coming with me is the least you could do.”

_‘Ah, crap.’_

“Fine,” Johnny slumped in resignation, “I was hoping you’d forget about it since it happened, what, two years ago-?”

He could feel the heat of Jaehyun’s glare cutting into him.

“Okay, fine. You win. I’ll go.” _Crap._

 

Johnny felt ridiculous. 

Aside from himself and Jaehyun being the only males present in a greatly populated room full of females, the fact he was forced to wear a neon striped sweatband (per the 80’s themed dress code his so-called best friend ‘forgot’ to mention) made things just a little more unbearable. He watched, in misery, the gaggle of women clustering around Yoona as she _humbly_ flaunted the newest piece of jewelry her latest boyfriend had given her. Whispers of excitement were shared among them while Johnny thought about the many ways to kill a man. 

“Maybe this wasn’t the best idea,” He heard Jaehyun chirp beside him anxiously, “it’s not like our instructor to be this late, anyway.”

He grunted gruffly, not wanting to hear another peep come out of him. But his anger seemed to noticeably dissipate the very second said instructor walked through the door. 

“Hello, everyone! Sorry I’m late, the trains were a little delayed.”

Johnny’s brain must have short-circuited because all he could do was stand there like some deer caught in headlights.

“Ten..?”

Their eyes met and everything went silent. (At least things did in Johnny’s head.) 

“How did you-?” 

“My friend invited me.” He murmured, awkwardly nudging Jaehyun’s side with his elbow. Jaehyun smiled — of course.

There was a collective chorus of giggles from the group of women, until one among them spoke up, “We heard that our Yoona here was supposed to be his date on Valentine’s day.” 

“But she wasn’t his date, was she?” Ten shot back, “Because I was.”

His matter-of-fact tone shut them up real fast — and Johnny couldn’t help but find that sense of authority incredibly hot. Yoona was without a doubt caught off-guard given how her mouth had swung open like some trap door. She wasn’t the only one left stunned, but the class went on without further conversation and it came to no one’s surprise that Johnny had zero bodily coordination to save his life. It even shocked him to find how easily Jaehyun could bend and control his body at will.

And here he was, a hot sweaty mess, though not quite under the ideal circumstance he’d imagined in his head. He was grateful that Ten’s hands were on him, even if it was mostly to adjust and correct his posture. Regardless, he felt some surge of — _something_ running through him and he prayed to someone somewhere that his other bodily functions wouldn’t spring up without permission.

 

 

Johnny was the last person there, left abandoned even by Jaehyun who became easily distracted by the mention of food. The padded yoga mat beneath him felt disgusting, but he couldn’t find the strength in his overstretched body to stand up. 

“What did you think of my class?”

Johnny finally opened his eyes, “I thought you said you were a fitness instructor.”

“Excuse you!” Ten gaped, gently kicking the mat before taking the one beside him, “Yoga _is_ fitness.”

He chuckled despite the soreness forming in his chest. 

The silence felt almost calming, but Johnny was the first to break it, “so.. what would you say if someone were to ask you out on a second date?”

“It depends. Maybe a yes.”

“Do you often say yes, then?” 

Ten says, tauntingly, “Only to the ones I’m interested in."

No matter how much pain he was in, Johnny willed himself to roll over and shorten whatever space that remained between himself and Ten, “So a second date, it is, then.”

“How can you be so sure?” Ten asks, raising his brows.

“Because of this.”

Johnny moves in further, closing the gap and presses a firm kiss onto Ten’s lips with ease. The butterflies made a second grand reappearance in Ten’s stomach, even multiplying as Johnny reaches to cup his cheek gently. The kiss builds slowly, messily, leaving the two flushed and breathing hard when it ends.

Ten locks his forearms around Johnny’s neck, practically grinning from ear to ear. “A second date, it is.”

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by the fic prompt:  
> dining alone - but forced to share a table with someone else since there are no tables left. 
> 
> this was not originally meant to be a valentine's day fic, but it kinda turned out that way so i just rolled with it.
> 
> i know the title is lame sauce buuut do me a favor and sing the title to the tune of 'oh, sweet child of mine', okay? okay~ first time posting, i hope you enjoy!
> 
> also thank you, dalpaengi♡ for the encouragement i needed


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